THE BARMAH BRUMBIES
A drive through the Australian bush can open your eyes. You see the beauty of our gum trees, sometimes with their magnificent flowers attracting hordes of bees to make tasty honey, or native birds nesting in hollows. You may even be lucky enough to be driving along beside one of our unique waterways, and if you are quiet you may see an animal having a drink.
Paints a lovely picture doesn't it !!
But what about the modern reality!
You will need to step over the cold camp fire with rubbish strewn around the abandoned site. Yes broken bottles, crushed alcohol cans and more than likely toilet paper will be blowing around as well.
What pests some of these campers are. We have lovely bush but many aussies feel free to use the bush as a personal rubbish tip.
Yes man is a pest ! An environmental pest.
But if the news is correct, so are animals.
And in this area of Victoria, where we are currently staying, so is the Barmah brumby!!
This is something that I really struggle with.
Yes, Australia was made on the sheep's back.
But what was the drover riding. It certainly wasn't a motor bike back then. It was a very sound and stocky horse. A faithful animal who knew which way to spin around to chase that rogue sheep.
Many of us have had some sort of relationship with horses.
Me, well I grew up with a very cantankerous Shetland pony. She definitely had an independent mind and you could not make her do anything that she did not want to do.
But she was sturdy.
And I have recently had the pleasure to be introduced to some more very sturdy horses.
The Barmah Brumby!
Yes, that supposed pest.
Well sorry. In my eyes, and in the eyes of many others, they are far from a pest.
They roam so freely across roughly 26,000 hectares of the Barmah forest.
In a very quiet area of the Australian bush we stood still and waited. And yes these tall, proud animals made an appearance.
The feeling to have wild animals so close to you and know that they were not going to hurt you was just magical.
How special to see a tall and stately stallion with his mob of mares.
Many people will never get to experience this.
And if these Barmah Brumbies are treated as pests and the majority are culled as is currently planned, then many tourists will not even know they exist.
The Save Our Barmah Brumby group are doing a heck of a lot of scientific research into these animals. They are doing head counts and sending information to America to collate evidence to prove their case for saving these animals. They are looking at any means to save them rather than have them disappear completely. There must be other ways to reduce their numbers rather than shoot the majority of them. There have been and will continue to be discussions to find an acceptable solution to the plight of the Barmah Brumbies.
All this is costing some very big cash amounts. But they are a very passionate group of people. Passionate about the Barmah Brumbies and the Barmah region, and passionate about horses.
All this is costing some very big cash amounts. But they are a very passionate group of people. Passionate about the Barmah Brumbies and the Barmah region, and passionate about horses.
The Barmah Brumbies are lucky to have this group supporting them and these people will stand by them right to the end.
Yes Aussies can be strong willed and country people have a defiance like no other. They will go down fighting. Fighting and standing tall for their beliefs. Belief that these horses need to remain. And remain in the quantity that is currently roaming the Barmah National Forest.
Yes Aussies can be strong willed and country people have a defiance like no other. They will go down fighting. Fighting and standing tall for their beliefs. Belief that these horses need to remain. And remain in the quantity that is currently roaming the Barmah National Forest.
Come on tourists. Come and see what this fight is all about. Come and support these local people.
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